I usually was obedient to my brother, but right then, and with everything that had happened over the past few days, I needed to prove I could be useful to my village. And in order to be useful, I needed to find out what really was going on. I was tired of feeling small. At fourteen, it was about time I became someone who could do something. I wanted to take action and show that I was more than an unremarkable village kid. I knew whatever they were meeting about was important because it involved not only Chief Elder Ma'fora but also Chief Oda. "I was itching to follow them too but figured you would obey your brother. I'm pleasantly surprised," Tola said then bit into her apple. "Breeep!" Chima squealed. "She says thank you for the apple, and I do too, because I was starving," Kaya said. "You're welcome. Now, let's go see what's going on." I dropped my voice, adding to myself, "Sorry, Kenji, but I needed to be helpful, and this is the only way I know how." The suns were about to set, and a cool breeze swept through the air. The nightbirds chirped, and insects screeched. Some of the nocturnal animals were starting to wake up. We spotted a caracal as she was waking up her cubs, but we sprinted past her before she could spot us. As we got farther from the village, Chima guided us with her sense of smell to where Kenji and the others had gone. She stood on Kaya's shoulders, pointing the way. "I've never been this far into the jungle before," Tola said. "I haven't either, but I feel like I have, you know what I mean? Does that make sense?" Kaya asked. Chima nodded enthusiastically. "Uh, no." Tola looked confused. We all laughed. As we kept walking, I began to hear water flowing. "Do you guys hear that?" I asked. We continued and soon spotted the source of the noise. Water was falling from a mountain and flowing into a river. "A waterfall!" Tola said. "I'm assuming this is the start of the river that flows into the village. Interesting." "Guys, do you see that too?" Kaya pointed at the waterfall. The water falling from the mountain suddenly shifted and began flowing upward. Three figures appeared from behind the veil—Oda, the chief elder, and Kenji. I whispered, "So there's a cave under there?" Oda's arm was out with an open palm facing the upward-flowing water. "Wait, so she used her gravity magic to move the water and make an exit? That's amazing!" Kaya exclaimed. Tola seemed puzzled. "But what were they doing there?" Around the waterfall was a large, rocky clearing. As they stepped away from the waters, their expressions told different stories—Oda's face was thoughtful, the chief elder's serious, and Kenji's filled with anger. They remained deep in conversation as they moved closer to where we stood. "Get down!" I hissed, diving into the nearest bush. My heart pounded rapidly as we crouched low, watching them through the leaves. The jungle seemed to hold its breath with us, each rustle of the wind sounding like the snap of a twig that could give us away. They stopped a few feet away. "But that's our best option. Am I wrong?" Kenji said. "Well, no, but that's more of a long-term goal. They vastly outnumber us. You know that's not possible within a couple weeks. We have to think about what to do in the short term. What's our first step? What do we tell the people?" Oda said. Kenji's gaze drifted, searching for an answer I knew he might not have. Watching him, I couldn't help but feel the gap between us—he always seemed to know what to do, while I struggled to keep up. "In any case, I shall still meet with the realm leaders. Should the worst happen and we can't get it back, we'd best be prepared." "I will meet with the other village chiefs. Don't worry, Elder, we'll get it back," Oda reassured him. "Get what back?" I whispered. "Shh!" Kaya blurted, putting a finger to his mouth. I glanced at Kaya, Tola, and Chima, each of them holding their breath, eyes wide with nervousness. Kaya's gaze locked with mine, and for a moment, it felt like the entire jungle had gone still. I didn't want to turn around. I knew our hiding spot was blown. I could practically feel their eyes on us, but maybe, just maybe, if we stayed perfectly still, didn't move a muscle, we could blend in, like a chameleon. It was a ridiculous thought, but in that moment, it was the only thing I could hold onto. The seconds felt like hours, every breath a conscious effort, before we slowly, almost painfully, turned to face them. "For kids, you guys are not good at playing hide and seek. Get out already," Oda said, her voice slightly annoyed as she crossed her arms. Her black hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and her toned arms and stomach revealed the strength the chief carried. She turned back to the others, clearly unfazed by our failed hiding attempt. "You knew we were here?" Tola asked. She let out a disappointed sigh. "Of course we knew. Let's get back to the village, it's late. I'll explain on the way." I shot a quick glance at Kenji, feeling guilty. "Come on, bro," he murmured, as if he didn't want to shatter the fragile silence. "Kaya, you realize your 'shh' was louder than Kofi, right?" Tola whispered. "Yes, I know," he muttered, as Chima let out a series of high-pitched trills. "Hey, don't laugh at me!" On the way back, the suns had fully set. Kenji pulled out some fire before it got too dark so we could see where we were going. Oda explained what happened. "You guys know about the Paw Stone—our realm's Ethereal Stone. Well, it was stolen by the Metrolians. Somehow, they breached the ether field." "Why would they do that?" I asked. "I don't know," Oda admitted. "What I do know is that the Paw Stone controls the flow of ether in the realm. Without it, there's an imbalance. Since everything relies on ether, this could lead to disaster." "So that's why all the fainting is happening in the village, right? I knew it was them. We gotta get that stone back." It made my blood boil. "And since the young and elderly are most susceptible to changes in their ether equilibrium, they are the primary ones being affected right now," Oda added. That made sense—the elder, his wife, and the baby bird. "So you mentioned something earlier about a couple of weeks? Is that how long we have to get it back? What happens if we don't?" Tola asked Oda. "Listen, you kids don't need to worry about that. We're going to be fine, but this is going to be a very serious time for our village, and there's gonna be . . . some changes. For now, focus on the celebration tomorrow. I'll tell the village the news afterward." I had completely forgotten about the celebration Oda had said we were going to have two days after the invasion. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Oda? I suggest sooner rather than later. The celebration can wait." "I already promised it. I'm a woman of my word. If I give the bad news first, they wouldn't really feel like celebrating. Plus, they deserve it—they protected our village gallantly." "Well, you are the chief, so you have the last word," the chief elder said. The truth hit me hard, breaking through my confusion. A sinking fear took over, making me doubt how I'd ever get to Metrolia and retrieve the Paw Stone. I knew it was unlikely, but I hoped that Kenji would allow me to help them get it back, however they planned on doing it. I wanted him to see that I was capable. *** "Rise and shine, warriors! Get ready to celebrate!" I wasn't in the mood to celebrate. Even though we'd won the battle, we'd lost in the end. I agreed with the chief elder and thought that Oda should have told everyone and canceled the celebration so we could come up with a solution together. Ideas spiraled through my head, but I couldn't hold on to any of them. It was as if they were clouds. I bit my lip, staring at the ground, which felt as heavy as my heart. My hands clenched, holding the little hope I had left as I tried to steady myself in this chaos. I looked around as we were getting the celebration set up. I could tell that most of the repairs were complete. I took a deep breath. For some reason, the air felt a little lighter. It was slightly harder to breathe. When the celebration began, the musicians of the village used their abilities to create victorious music. I couldn't help but sway my head with the rhythm. Tola, with the help of some of the other mages, used her telekinesis to make the trees dance and move with the beat. Kenji and Chima, using his fire and her electricity, helped create a colorful display of fireworks in the sky. Beautiful explosions lit the air above us as a symbol of the village's victory. Gynor, the East Village's head chef, used his magic and vast knowledge of natural ingredients to create delicious dishes and drinks. The food came in a wondrous array of colors and flavors, and the drinks bubbled and fizzed. I settled down on the jungle grass, looking at the suns, soaking it all in. It was a nice, bright, sunny day on the outside but a dark and gloomy one inside me. Maybe I should try to enjoy this. It may be the last time we get to celebrate. No, I can't think like that. I'm gonna to get it back, no matter what. I forced a smile as laughter swirled around me, but it felt like a mask covering my true feelings. Each cheer felt like a heavy reminder of the burden on my heart, blocking the joy that should have been ours. I kept picturing the helpless bird in my head. "Hey, Kofi! You want something to eat?" Gynor yelled at me over the music. "Of course!" I tried to fake a smile as I got up and dusted the grass off my head. "You okay?" he asked as I made it to him. "Yep," I lied as I handed my bowl to him. "Alright! Here you—" Suddenly, he fell on the table. The food spilled to the ground, and the table fell. The music began to sound strange. I realized that a musician had fainted as well. Frightened screams grew around us, the villagers beginning a frenzied panic. "Kenji! Tola! Kaya! Chima!" I screamed, my voice breaking through the chaos. "Kofi!" Kenji found me, grabbing my hand. "Stay here. We'll be okay." Tola, Kaya, and Chima joined us, looking confused and scared. "What's happening?" Kaya asked. "I don't know," Tola said, her voice shaky. "People are dropping." The air felt thin, hard to breathe. "Grab my hand!" I urged, my voice straining. I reached out, and Tola's fingers closed around mine. Kaya grasped her hand too, but then... everything began to tilt. The world spun violently. My legs buckled beneath me. Dizziness tore through my mind like a violent storm. I tried to stay upright, but my vision blurred—fragments of the scene around me fractured. The ground seemed to tilt sideways, and then I fell... And that was the last thing I remembered. When I woke up, the ground beneath me felt different—cooler, harder, and unfamiliar. My head snapped up. Korvath was gone. I was somewhere else, somewhere I didn't recognize. Alarmed, I tried to make sense of my surroundings. Where was I?